day 3.361

tom cruise sings!

well, i assume he does. just not in the trailer. check out this jam-packed preview of rock of ages, the big screen adaptation of the blockbuster broadway musical. alec badlwin, julianne hough, catherine zeta jones and, yes, tom cruise star in the '80s-set rock-drama. i'm in.

day 3.53

sag's possible swan song?

last night the latest (and possibly last) crop of sag awards were handed out. because the screen actors guild is this close to merging with the american federation of television and radio actors, there may not be any sag awards to hand out next year. there will still be an awards show, just probably with a different name. below are the winners from last night. overall, it looks nearly identical to the critics choice awards and golden globe awards' lists. but, of course, there are a couple surprises. the screen actors guild went more traditional with the big award, giving the king's speech cast the outstanding performance nod. this could mean bad news for the social network at next month's oscars - but don't count them out yet. since everyone from teenager dakota fanning to the 96-year-old screen actor's guild lifetime achievement award recipient ernest borgnine vote. the individual tv recipients are interesting, too. 30 rock has all but fallen off the award show radar, while hot in cleveland won't get recognized anywhere else, ever. but, i do like that alec baldwin and betty white each got to take home statues. check out the full list of winners:

outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture - the king's speech

outstanding performance by a male in a leading role - colin firth, the king's speech

outstanding performance by a female in a leading role - natalie portman, black swan

outstanding performance by a male in a supporting role - christian bale, the fighter

outstanding performance by a female in a supporting role - melissa leo, the fighter

outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series - boardwalk empire

outstanding performance by a male in a drama series - steve buscemi, boardwalk empire

outstanding performance by a female in a drama series - julianna margulies, the good wife

outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series - modern family

outstanding performance by a male in a comedy series - alec baldwin, 30 rock

outstanding performance by a female in a comedy series - betty white, hot in cleveland

day 2.110

the oscars

last night was the super bowl of entertainment. the be all, end all of award shows: the academy awards. this year the show was hosted by steve martin and alec baldwin. for the most part, i was impressed with their hosting abilities, but it wasn't great. i didn't really feel like 2 hosts were necessary and i'm not a big fan of having someone who could be nominated (and has been) host - i.e. baldwin. steve could have done it himself. the fact that they had to bring in a 3rd talent (neil patrick harris) to open the show was pretty sad, too. i didn't think nph's opening number was all that great, but i would have liked to see him host the whole shebang. maybe this was a test run for next year?

i also didn't understand the very top of the show when they had all the best actor nominees stand in a line to be introduced. that just seemed like a bizarre time filler.

the weirdest part of the night was when they had a dance troop perform to the original score nominees. usually the best original song noms get performed, but this year they were snubbed in favor of this. why? i have no clue. i'd much rather have seen/heard the actual songs performed. oh well. though, this was better than that bizarre hugh jackman/beyonce/zac efron/vanessa hudgens thing from last year.

ben stiller took center stage to present the best achievement in make-up award. he dressed for he occasion - as an avatar.

the night's most touching moment was a tribute to john hughes. though, it was a sad reminder of how many actors there were in the brat pack that aren't that successful anymore. and an explanation for why molly ringwald is now a supporting player on secret life of the american teenager.

the biggest surprise of the night wasn't a win, but rather a snub. farah fawcett and bea arthur were left out of the night's tribute. pretty big overlook when no name behind-the-scenes people are often included. though, had the ladies made it in, the show would have run even more over time. the special lasted a whole extra hour. that's almost completely unheard of.

now to the big winners:

the way they introduced the best actor and actress nominees was bizarre, too. they had a peer give an introduction and then had last year's winner for the matching gender category come out and present the award. i wish they had kept last year's production, which had 5 past winners introduce the current crop of nominees. i guess it would be hard to find 5 new past winners every show, though.

best actor - jeff bridges

• not exactly a surprise, but kind of a bore.

best actress - sandra bullock

• yes! yes! yes!

best supporting actor - christoph waltz

• ok.

best supporting actress - mo'nique

• duh.

best director - kathryn bigelow

• bigelow is the first female every to receive this award. sweetest revenge against ex-hubby james cameron? i think so.

best picture - the hurt locker

• suck it, avatar. ok not really. but really.

and that's all folks. if you want to catch up on more of my thoughts about the oscars, read through my tweets (@bricesander)!

day 2.39

it's complicated, but not really

let's face it. i'm a sucker for comedies geared at the 50+ set. maybe it's because i'm really a retiree trapped in the body of a 19 year old. hollywood's latest offering for the over-the-hill set, it's complicated, filled my appetite for the genre. following the affair of a divorced couple, the movie is pretty much a non-stop laugh fest with heart. meryl streep, alec baldwin and steve martin all give quality performances, but the scene steeler is the office's john krasinski as meryl and alec's daughter's fiance. i don't know how much - if any - of his lines were adlibbed, but they come off effortlessly and hilariously. like most other nancy meyers flicks (i.e. the parent trap, what women want, something's gotta give and the holiday), it's complicated has something for everyone - so don't be fooled into thinking it's an old folks romcom. i expected the movie to have a few uncomfortable old people sex scenes, but all that was just alluded to (minus one alec baldwin semi-nude scene). if it's complicated pulls in a good showing at the box office (which i'm sure it will), meyers is set to pass nora ephron (when harry met sally, you've got mail, julie and julia) as the highest grossing female filmmaker ever. you go girl (shut up). the movie just opened yesterday, so there's plenty of time to check it out before it heads into that 3 month limbo between theater and dvd. hopefully, by that point, they will have greenlit a sequel. might i suggest it's still complicated as a title, nancy?

day 351

okay, i like it a little better today

what a difference a day makes. rihanna released the music video for her new single ("wait your turn") today and, after seeing the video, the song grew on me. weird, right? i guess seeing the complete artistic direction can change opinions. check the video out above. rihanna never released the music video for "russian roulette," the first single off her new album rated r, even though the entire video was filmed. i'm guessing after the single failed to take off, her creative team decided they needed to start over? remember to check rihanna on abc this thursday and friday on good morning america and 20/20.

this too!

in more music video madness, leighton meester premiered a sneak peek of her video for "somebody to love" last night during a new episode of gossip girl and it made me like her song better too. i guess music videos are making a comeback in the creativity department and in understanding the concepts behind these really bizarre musical ventures. check out the sneak peek above.

the oscars have a host! strike that: hosts!

after hugh jackman said he wouldn't be back for a second go around, speculation started as to who would take the helm of this year's show. broadway production powerhouse - and producer of this year's awards show - adam shankman announced today that steve martin and alec baldwin would cohost the show this march. martin has hosted the show twice before solo, while this will be alec's first go around. the duo should help to balance each other out. i think this is a genius move, but it could turn into a catastrophe. both men are insanely talented and hilarious, but when a host isn't a straight-forward comedian, sometimes the bits are hard to watch. hopefully, all goes well. the two were great together when steve guested on 30 rock last season.